The Police IndexStop data: 2024 · Pay and hiring checked Nov 2026
What the job looks like at San Mateo County Sheriff
6,059 people stopped in 2024Busiest hour 9am to 10amSan Mateo County
San Mateo County Sheriff is the sheriff's office for San Mateo County. This page shows what its officers spend their time on, from the stops the department reported to the state for 2024.
People stopped
About 17 a day
6,059 people in 2024. A stop is a detention or search, so calls with no detention are not counted. Most common reason: red light, stop sign or traffic sign, 28%.
Busiest hour for stops
9am to 10am
10% of stops are between 10pm and 5am
17th of 17 in San Mateo County
Stops that came from a call
2%
The rest the officer started
15th of 17 in San Mateo County
Stops on foot
4%
252 of 6,059
15th of 17 in San Mateo County
Median stop length
5 min
Where San Mateo County Sheriff works
Filled: San Mateo County. Cities with their own police are gray.
What San Mateo County Sheriff officers stop people for
Red light, stop sign or traffic sign28%
Phone use while driving14%
Registration, plates or insurance12%
Speeding12%
Lights, tint or equipment12%
Lane, turn or right-of-way violation7%
License problem2%
Seat belt or child seat1%
Outstanding warrant1%
Consensual contact with a search1%
Everything else10%
The main reason recorded for each of 6,059 people stopped in 2024, grouped from the offense code.
When the work happens
10% of stops happen between 10pm and 5am.
San Mateo County Sheriff
San Mateo County average
12am3am6am9am12pm3pm6pm9pm
Darker means a larger share of stops in that hour.
How the work is done
Each dot is a department in San Mateo County. San Mateo County Sheriff is highlighted.
On foot4% 15th of 17 in San Mateo County
0%20%40%
For a traffic violation95% 3rd of 17 in San Mateo County
0%20%40%60%80%100%
After a call for service2% 15th of 17 in San Mateo County
0%20%40%
Person perceived as unhoused2% 10th of 17 in San Mateo County
0%20%40%
How stops end
Verbal warning8% 17th of 17 in San Mateo County
0%20%40%60%80%
Citation52% 1st of 17 in San Mateo County
0%20%40%60%
Arrest2% 14th of 17 in San Mateo County
0%20%40%
Psychiatric hold0% 14th of 17 in San Mateo County
0%20%40%
One person can have more than one outcome, so these do not add to 100%.
Searches and handcuffs
Person searched3% 15th of 17 in San Mateo County
0%20%40%
Handcuffed2% 13th of 17 in San Mateo County
0%20%40%
This page covers the work only. Pay, hiring steps and test rules for this department are not on the site yet. Agencies differ in how consistently they record handcuffing and searches, so small gaps may not be real.